Golf ball



' June 1929- L. FOTHERINGHAM 1.7

GOLF BALL v Filed May 29, 1928 INVENTOR 6 e orge L. F0 Zherz'nghan;

Patented June 11, i929.

iJhllTEfi TATES inane earner ere-ice.

GEORGE L. FOTHERINGHAZM, 0]? LONG BRANCH, NET/V JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0REVERE RUBBER COMPANY, OF CHELSEA, DIASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFRI-IODE ISLAND.

GOLF

Application filed May 29,

This invention relates to improvements in balls, more particularly golfballs and the marking thereon.

From experience it has been discovered that a smooth golf ball does notfly truly nor for any great distance. it has been learned that bymarking the surface of a golf ball with indentation both the accuracyand the distance of the flight are improved. It has been the practice toprovide golf balls with the well known dimple and mesh markings for thispurpose.

While various markings or indentations have been applied heretofore on.golf balls it is the object of this invention to provide a new type ofgolf ball marking which will increase the length of the flight in theair of the ball and which will also increase the distance which the ballWill roll after falling. ()ther objects of the invention are to providesuch a marking as will result in a golf ball which is truer in flight ineither head, tall or cross winds. The invention disclosed herein alsoprovides a marking which results in a ball which putts more accuratelyand which has a greater durability than heretofore produced.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is described hereinafter andis shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the golf ball embodying my invention; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the shape andsize of the markmg. r

In the drawings, 1 designates a golf ball, which maybe of any suitableconstruction and in the surface, according to the present invention, thecover of the ball is provided with endless, preferably annular recesses2 illustrated, having, in cross section preferably the shape of the arcof a circle of .0285 inches radius. The. annular recesses 2 shownintersect the surface of the sphere to form circles the larger of whichhas a diameter of .218 inches and the smaller of which has a diameter of.125 inches. The smaller circle defines a projection 3 which issurrounded by the recess 2 and the surface of which lies in the externalspherical surface of the ball. The depth of the an nular recesses is.012 inches and, in the ball shown, the number of recesses is 84,although this number may be varied. The above dithose BALL.

1928; Serial No. 281,390.

mensions are taken from the ball before marking as to provide closedrecesses which will prevent the air in the recess from flowing along therecess. It is also desirable to provide a marking such that a largeextent of edge is presented without unduly diminishing the areaof thesurface of the ball which lies in the spherical surface. Thesedesiderata are satisfied in the present invention by providing aprojection in the recess 2 which has a sharp edge therearound so thateach recess provides two endless and preferably concentric sharp edgeswhich is believed to be of considerable advantage when compared withsuch a marking as a din ple or mesh which provides only one edge foreach recess. The relatively great area lying in the spherical surface ofthe ball is obtained in the present design by the use of the projectionsin the centers of the annular recesses and by making the endlessrecesses narrow relativetheir length and not too numerous. Thisrelatively great surface area of the ball is of value in that the forceof the blow from the club, when the ball is struck, is distributed over.a larger surface area than is the case with balls employing otherdesigns with the result that the ball is rendered more durable. Thisrelatively great surface area of the ball is also of great advantage inthat it gives a more nearly perfectly spherical surface which isdesirable in putting in that it enables the ball to roll further andalso results in more accurate putting.

The diameter of golf balls has been fixed at a maximum of approximately1.63 inches and a perfectly smooth ball of that diameter would have asurface area of approximately 8.4 square inches. In the ball of my invention the area of the undepressed portion of the surface of the sphere isapproximately 6.3 square inches while the area of the spherica-l surfacewhich is occupied by the depres'sions or recesses is approximately 2.1square inches.

From the values of the areas above given it is seen that with my markinga surface is presented to the-club which is about 75% of the maximumpossible area, that is the the same'type of ball provided withthe oldmarkings and that it will roll from 10-25 yards further becauseapparently of its more nearly perfect or complete spherical surface.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been disclosed hereinit is not intended to limit the invention thereto, as a wide variety ofendless markings may be employed as also thesize, shape, and number ofthe markings.

For an understanding of the scope of the invention reference should bemade to the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patout is:

V 1. A golf ball having a cover provided with a plurality of endlessrecesses each surroundin a projection whose free surface lies in theexternal spherical surface of the ball, both side walls of said recessesmeeting the spherical external surface of the ball at an obtuse angle toprovide relatively sharp edges, and the maximum width of said recessesbeing approximately four times the depth.

2. A golf ball having a cover provided with a plurality of endlessrecesses each surrounding. a projection whose free surface lies in theexternal spherical surface of the ball, the side walls defining saidrecesses meeting the external spherical surface at an obtuse angle toprovide sharp edges, the outside diameterof said recesses being lessthan twice the inside diameter of said recesses.

3. A golf ball having a cover provided with a plurality of endlessrecesses each surrounding a projection whose .freesurface lies in theexternal spherical surface of the ball, the outside diameter of saidrecesses before painting being approximately .22 of an inch, the insidediameter of said recesses being approximately .12 of an inch, and thedepth of said recesses being approximately 1 .01 of an inch.

4:. A golf ball having a cover provided with a plurality of endlessrecesses each surroun ling a projection whose free surface lies in theexternal spherical surface of the ball, the area of the externalnon-depressed spherical surface of the ball before painting being aboutthree times the area of the spherical surface occupied by the recesses;

5. A golf ball having a cover provided with a plurality of endlessrecesses each surrounding a projection whose free surface lies in theexternal sphericalsurface of the ball, the ball having a diameter ofapproximately 1.63 and an undepressed spherical surface of an area ofapproximately 6.3 square inches.

6. A golf ball having a cover provided with a plurality of endlessrecesses each surrounding 'a projection whose free surface lies in theexternal spherical surface of the ball, the ball having a diameter ofapproximately 1.63 pying not more than 30% of the spherical surface ofthe ball.

7. A golf ball, the spherical surface of which is provided with annularrecesses, the outer walls of which are concavely curved, the tops of theportions within the recesses lying in the spherical surface of the ball.

8. A golf ball, the spherical surface of which is provided with annularrecesses, the inner and outer walls of which are curved from thespherical surface of the ball to the bottoms of the recesses.

9. A golf ball, the spherical surface of which is provided with annularrecesses having concavely curved outer walls.

Signed at New York, county and State of New York, this 28th day of May,1928.

GEORGE L. FOTHERINGHAM;

and the endless recesses occu-

